Basic Books
1848; year of revolution.
Rapport (history, U. of Stirling, Scotland) Europe is noted for its French Revolution of 1789, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and the revolutions that took place in central and eastern Europe in 1989. But the year 1848, as revolutionary and tumultuous as it was, has received relatively little attention. Rapport corrects that deficiency with a broad view of the year that brought the overthrow of conservative governance in Paris, Milan, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Munich and other major European cities. The author writes clearly and provides interesting and revealing detail regarding this era of intense nationalism and ideology. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
American Babylon; notes of a Christian exile.
Neuhaus (1936-2009) was an evangelical Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of New York. Here he describes a way of being in a world that is not yet the world he hoped for. He discusses Babylon then and now, meeting God as an American, the idea of moral progress, whether an atheist can be a good citizen, an age of irony, salvation is from the Jews, politics for the time being, and hope and hopelessness. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
America, empire of liberty; a new history of the United States.
Sometimes the clearest view of an object is from a distance. This is the case for this sweeping history of America by British historian Reynolds (international history, Cambridge University) He focuses on three major themes: empire, liberty and faith. Unlike many contemporary historians in and out of America, he does not see the country's past as a blend of hypocrisy and oppression. Instead he explains how, in his opinion, the various events and ideologies shaped the country. The history weaves social and political history but the main thrust is the self-identification that Americans, even recent immigrants, have. Reynolds stresses that Americans truly believe in liberty, even while forging an empire. His comparisons with Russian expansion are apt, although the result was diametrically different. The interpretation of the Civil War and its long aftermath is free of a North/South bias. Throughout, Reynolds is struck by the American paradox of freedom and oppression, which many natives have also commented on. From before the first British colonists to the election of Barack Obama, Reynolds gives a portrait of a country united and divided at the same time and yet one that, at least up to now, works. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Arabs; a history.
Rogan, director of the Middle East Centre at St. Anthony's College, Oxford, begins his history of the Muslim Middle and Near East with the Ottoman Empire in the thirteenth century, thereby avoiding a rehash of the first centuries of Islam so prevalent in other similar histories. With erudition and an even-handed approach, he follows the fortunes of the Arabs under the Ottomans and the rise of the colonial occupation, starting with Napoleon in Egypt. The internal and external political/religious struggles of the Muslim world are brought up to the present, including the Six-day War and the Gulf War. Using both Arabic and Western sources, Rogan shows the flaws and strengths in those on all sides, presenting many different opinions, particularly within the Arab world, too often perceived as monolithic. While not dispassionate, Rogan is able to differentiate his own perspective from the evidence as given in the sources. This is an excellent explanation of the political and military history of the Arab world, written in an accessible narrative style. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Arsenal of democracy; the politics of national security — from World War II to the War on Terrorism.
While Senator Arthur Vandenberg famously declared that "politics stops at the water's edge," Zelizer (history and public affairs, Princeton U.), in this political history of post-World War II America, shows that the relationship between domestic politics and national security policy has long been a central issue of American political life. In investigating the domestic politics of the national security state, he explores the tensions between the "arsenal of democracy," as Franklin Roosevelt once formulated it while urging Americans to support the British resistance to the Nazis, and democracy itself. Rather than presenting any overarching theory for the relationship between domestic politics and national security policy, Zelizer prefers to paint a complex picture, showing how politicians have navigated electoral, ideological, partisan, and institutional pressures while dealing with international issues and how these issues have in turn influenced different components of domestic politics. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Barrelhouse blues; location recording and the early traditions of the blues.
In his 1936 study, The Negro and His Music, Alain Locke posed a number of then unanswered questions concerning the origins, transmission, and early development of blues music. Having unearthed 78 rpm recordings of "proto-blues," recorded in the field around the American South, blues historian Oliver proposes to answer many of those questions posed by Locke while simultaneously describing the circumstances under which the recordings were made and some of the personalities behind them. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The bloody white baron; the extraordinary story of the Russian nobleman who became the last Khan of Mongolia.
Palmer introduces readers to a little known, and very bizarre, episode of post-Revolutionary Russia and to its main actor, the anti-Semitic and genocidal Baron Ungern-Sternberg. One of the leaders of the anti-Bolshevik forces in Siberia, Ungern-Sternberg and his army were pushed by the Bolsheviks into Mongolia, which had recently broken free from China. Conquering the country with cavalry — the last person in history to do such a thing — Ungern-Sternberg established a medieval-style dictatorship, murdering Jews and political opponents in a pogrom that foretold later atrocities by the Nazis. Writing in a popular style, Palmer vividly conveys the details of Ungern-Sternberg's rise to power and his eventual dispatch at the hands of victorious Soviet forces. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The citizen's constitution; an annotated guide.
The Constitution is a bulwark of American society, yet how many people have actually read it, and how many fewer really understand the history and implications of its various clauses? We see fellow citizens brandishing the Constitution as a weapon in the shrill political dialogue that seems commonplace these days. How much better would that dialogue be if everyone involved had the thorough grounding this book offers. Working section by section, Lipsky provides a thorough discussion of the entire document. From both historical and legal perspectives, the reading is informative and entertaining. It is a timely resource in interesting times. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Cleopatra; last queen of Egypt.
Incorporating "more of the archaeological and historical detective work that underpins Cleopatra's story than is typical in a biography," Tyldesley (Egyptology, Manchester U., UK) presents a fascinating account of Egypt's last queen. In the process, she demonstrates that through her ambition, intelligence, effective — at times ruthless — leadership and ability to set realistic goals, Cleopatra nearly succeeded in creating a dynasty that would have reestablished Egypt as a world power. Illustrated with 26 b&w photographs and three maps. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The crime of reason; and the closing of the scientific mind.
The question of what is considered intellectual property and therefore subject to legal protection has become thorny in these litigious days. Laughlin (physics, Stanford University) deplores the recent legal trend of considering such things as a gene sequence or a marketing technique to be patentable. He also finds that the suppression of information under the cover of "national security" is also a suppression of scientific inquiry. He takes on governments, corporations and computer spammers. His arguments are cogent but his logic not always linear. An algorithm in a computer program is not analogous to a gene sequence in a human body, for instance, but rather to a phrase in a novel. Unfortunately, the legal system is also confused about such distinctions. Therefore the issues brought up by Laughin should launch healthy debate. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
A dream of undying fame; how Freud betrayed his mentor and invented psychoanalysis.
Breger (psychoanalytic studies, California Institute of Technology) relates the story of how a young Sigmund Freud met physician Josef Breuer in Vienna, how Breuer became his mentor, and how he provided Freud with financial support, patient referrals, and ideas that became part of psychoanalysis. Breuer told Freud about his treatment of Bertha Pappenheim (later known as Anna O.), a female "hysteric" who would become the first case in their joint publication Studies on Hysteria. Freud minimized Breuer's role in the book, as well as their relationship, to pursue fame and his aspirations in psychoanalysis, taking credit as the sole creator of the field. Freud's early life and self-analysis after Studies on Hysteria are also chronicled. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The enemy at the gate; Habsburgs, Ottomans and the battle for Europe.
During the Reformation, one of the few things Catholics and Protestants could agree on was their mutual terror that the Ottoman Empire would conquer Christian Europe. In this study of the 1683 siege of Vienna, Wheatcroft (international publishing and communication, University of Stirling) the fear that drove the defenders of the city to finally repulse the Turkish army is a constant backdrop. The story is told as a military narrative in which the participants and events are portrayed in an almost cinematic style. Wheatcroft dispels myths that have grown up about the siege and adds an epilogue on relations between Austria-Hungary and Turkey after the end of the war. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Fatal journey; the final expedition of Henry Hudson — a tale of mutiny and murder in the Arctic.
In celebration of the anniversary of English navigator Henry Hudson's historic 1609 voyage to New York, Mancall (history and anthropology, U. of S. California) presents a gripping account of Hudson's next — and final — expedition to the region. As Hudson navigated his small ship, the Discovery, up the Hudson River in the fall of 1610 he and his 22-man English crew encountered unexpectedly harsh, life-threatening conditions. When the ship became icebound, the captain and crew were forced to endure seven months of unbearable winter conditions and dwindling provisions. After the summer thaw began, the men mutinied, sending Hudson, his 17-year-old son, and seven others adrift in a small boat, never to be seen again. Based on a variety of primary sources and visual evidence, Mancall traces Hudson's final voyage, the mutiny, and subsequent trial of the mutineers. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Finding our tongues; mothers, infants, and the origins of language.
The majority of research on how language began has been based on the assumption that men have been the prime evolutionary movers because of their hypothetical focus on hunting, tool production, and warfare. Based on cutting-edge neuroscience, child development literature, and classic anthropology, Falk (anthropology, Florida State U.) proposes a radically different theory: mother-infant interaction and "motherese" — also known as baby talk or musical speech — led to the development of human speech, and from that, to the development of music and art. In the process, she demonstrates that motherese exists in all modern societies, that it is mothers worldwide who help babies learn language, and that observations of motherese today can tell us much about the emergence of language among our species. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The global achievement gap; why even our best schools don't teach the new survival skills our children need — and what we can do about it.
Wagner (Change Leadership Group, Harvard Graduate School of Education) contends that American schools are dangerously obsolete in the sense that they aren't teaching or testing the skills students need to succeed in the global knowledge economy. As a way to bridge the disconnect between what employers want and what students are now getting in schools, the author explains how all Americans can take part in the restructuring of the education system. He also provides examples of decidedly different types of schools that are teaching students a new set of skills. The book will interest parents, educators, business professionals, and others. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The housing boom and bust.
Sowell (scholar in residence, Hoover Institution, Stanford U.) provides a blunt, straight-talking account of the housing boom and bust that rocked the American economy and the economies of other countries around the world. The author delves into "creative" home mortgage financing and the even more creative selling of financial securities based on American mortgages to countries throughout the world. The book could be considered an autopsy on the financial collapse, its causes, and the lengths those responsible for it went to evade responsibility for the crash. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
In her wake; a child psychiatrist explores the mystery of her mother's suicide.
When she was 4 years old, Rappaport's mother, a Boston socialite, killed herself after losing custody of her children. Rappaport (psychiatry, Harvard Medical School) shares her quest to understand her mother's suicide and cope with her half-sister's mental illness, and how her family history has affected her life and practice with patients. The insightful book includes family photos and resources on mental illness and suicide prevention. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Kennedy assassination — 24 hours after; Lyndon B. Johnson's pivotal first day as president.
Formerly with Yale and Oxford, Gillon (history, U. of Oklahoma) is resident historian for the History Channel and is the author of numerous books and articles on modern American history and politics. Based on extensive analysis of dozens of conflicting accounts, his detailed look at Johnson's first day as the nation's president examines the many challenges that LBJ faced in those first critical hours following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Gillon concludes that LBJ "performed exceptionally well under the most difficult of circumstances" in those first hours, and that the decisions made at that time helped shape the rest of his presidency. While academic, this flowing text would accessible to general readers intrigued by one of the most significant points in the nation's history. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The laws of disruption; harnessing the new forces that govern life and business in the digital age.
The fast-paced digital world of today has left many people in a daze, confused about what that pace means and how it is affecting their lives and professions. Downes (information technology, strategy, and law consultant) examines nine critical areas in which technology is drastically changing the rules of business and life. The author argues that there's a revolution coming in the fast-paced digital world that will affect law, regulation, business, and consumers. His book is intended to give readers the background to identify and respond to its warning signs, how to profit from it, how to ease into it, and to understand the weaknesses of outdated laws that are now in place to regulate it. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The moment of Psycho; how Alfred Hitchcock taught America to love murder.
San Francisco-based Thomson is the author of many books on film and a regular contributor of film commentary and criticism to the New York Times, Film Comment, The New Republic, Salon, and the Guardian (UK). Some 50 years after the premiere of Hitchcock's groundbreaking film, Thomson analyzes Psycho within the context of the time when it was created, and how it opened up a taste for sex, violence, and horror that continues in American cinema — and other cultural productions — today. The text includes a chapter on Psycho's film legacy assessing 28 films produced between 1962 and 2009, ranging from Dr. No and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? to Blow-Up (1966), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Frenzy (1972), Halloween (1978), Fatal Attraction (1987), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Pulp Fiction. For students, scholars, critics, and fans of cinema. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
